breve (n.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict[breve 词源字典]
mid-15c., musical notation indicating two whole notes, from Latin breve (adj.) "short" in space or time (see brief (adj.)). The grammatical curved line placed over a vowel to indicate "shortness" (1540s) is from the same source.[breve etymology, breve origin, 英语词源]